Coping and communication-enhancing intervention versus supportive counseling for women diagnosed with gynecological cancers

Abstract

This study compared the efficacy of 2 psychological interventions, a coping and communication-enhancing intervention (CCI) and supportive counseling (SC), in reducing depressive symptoms and cancer-specific distress of women diagnosed with gynecological cancer. Demographic, medical, and psychological moderators of intervention effects were evaluated. Three hundred fifty-three women with gynecological cancer were randomly assigned to 7 sessions of CCI, 7 sessions of SC, or usual care. Intent-to-treat growth curve analyses indicated that participants assigned to CCI and SC reported lower depressive symptoms than participants assigned to usual care at the 6- and 9-month follow-ups. Women with greater than average increases in physician-rated physical symptoms and/or women who were more expressive of positive emotions benefited more from SC than women with lower than average increases in symptom scores and/or women who were less expressive of positive emotions. These findings suggest that both interventions may be effective in treating depressive symptoms among patients with gynecological cancer. Future research should evaluate whether bolstering both psychological interventions with additional intervention sessions and topics in the disease trajectory will result in persistent long-term effects.